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This was my first time reading a book by Linda and I absolutely loved it!!

The romance, history and suspense of this story is so riveting and breathtaking, Can't wait to read book 2 in this series especially since it takes place in my fave part of the French History!! ( )

Daughter of Silk is not a book I was pulled into right away, in fact I struggled with it at first, but the more I read the more I got into the book. The biggest issue I had with it personally was the amount of French integrated into it. I am one who feels if you’re writing a book in English have it be in English if you’re writing it in French have it be in French. Aside from that the book while slow to start is very good.
It is a Christian Fiction and not for everyone, but if you know the history of what happened in France while the Queen Regent “Madame le Serpente” ruled you know why it would be. This is a time of great religious persecution and peril. Protestants being slaughtered by the thousands just because of their beliefs because they were not catholic. This book brings that to light and entwines characters of evil and good, and those who are finding love in different places. Over all it is a good book that shows the ways of a dangerous court in a dangerous time very well.
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After reading "Beyond Heaving Bosoms. The Smart Bitches guide to romance novels", I have a newfound respect for "trashy romance novels". I had a great time identifying the gender cliches, and figuring out how the author would pull them together in a more or less natural way. I was unabashedly delighted at the way in which Chaikin was able to bend language, and sometimes, also the protagonists' spines for the perfect romantic scene. I liked the insertion of French phrases for ambiance, though a couple of times I was thrown out of the story upon detecting a mistake on the French phrasing (maybe I'm too much of a language snob?).
In general the story flows pretty well, but I found difficult to root for the main characters, as they were somewhat bland. ( )

Linda Lee Chaikin is awesome! She writes with vivid detail and complexity. This story immediately drew me in, especially when I got to visit Catherine De Medici again! Reading C.W. Gortner's Confessions of Catherine De Medici, I became a HUGE fan of her and while this book is about Rachelle, it still visits with the Queen Mother Catherine De Medici and her courts. That was a bonus for me!

Rachelle's character was vibrantly created. She falls in love with a forbidden man-someone far, far above her in society. When Rachelle learns of Catherine De Medici's conspiracy against the Huguenots, the suspenseful twists to the plot begin, for Rachelle, in the court as a seamstress to De Medici's daughter, is a Protestant in secret. The man that Rachelle fell in love with, that far above her man, falls in love with her, too, and together they try to stop the plotting of a conspiracy. It all came down to an amazingly written, well researched, and beautifully blended historical, romantic suspenseful novel!

Linda Lee Chaikin is a new-to-me author, though with books like this one, she has earned a top spot on my list! This 5 star novel is filled with love, mystery, pain and lots of French history. I highly recommend this to ALL book lovers! ( )